Public Service Lawyer to Lead Rappaport Center

Susan Prosnitz, a lawyer who has held several high-level public service positions, will serve as the first executive director of the new Jerome Lyle Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service.

The center was established last fall at Suffolk University Law School to explore the intersection between the law and public policy and identify and advance opportunities for law students and lawyers to engage in public service.

Commitment to public policy issues

“We are fortunate indeed to have Susan Prosnitz as our director of the Rappaport Center,” said Suffolk Law School Dean Alfred C. Aman Jr. “She is a superb lawyer. Her background in and deep commitment to public policy issues, as well as her knowledge of the Greater Boston area, make her the ideal person to direct this center.”

Prosnitz has served as the chief litigator for the state’s Executive Office of Public Safety, the state Highway Department, and the Boston Police Department. She also directed a panel that reviewed port authority operations after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Enthusiasm & experience

“I am excited that Suffolk University has chosen someone whose enthusiasm, experience, and career choices so perfectly embody the center’s goals to foster public service within the legal profession,” said Jerome L. Rappaport, the foundation’s founder.

In her new position, Prosnitz will develop, implement and manage a comprehensive program to advance opportunities in government and public service for Suffolk law students.

Prosnitz also will manage various fellowship programs, including the Rappaport Fellows Program in Law and Public Policy, a highly competitive program that provides summer internships, educational programming, stipends, and individual mentoring for students selected annually from Boston’s six law schools. She also will advise students interested in public and pro bono service.

“I am grateful for the opportunity afforded me by the Rappaports and Suffolk University Law School to build upon their longstanding commitment to public service,” Prosnitz said. “I believe that committed professionals can truly make a difference in the everyday lives of citizens. The Rappaport Center can and will be a national model for advancing public service opportunities for law students and lawyers.”